Classic peanut butter blossoms deliver tender, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate kisses that create the perfect sweet and salty balance in under 40 minutes.
This recipe uses shortening to prevent over-spreading, and a quick sugar rolling technique. It produces 60 cookies with edges that stay faintly crisp while centers remain soft. I've been making these every December for 30 years, and they're hands down our favorite Christmas cookie that we genuinely can't wait to make each holiday season.
The scent of peanut butter and chocolate fills the kitchen within minutes of sliding the first tray into the oven. That aroma brings me right back to December afternoons spent rolling dough balls while holiday music played in the background. The satisfying crack that forms when you press each chocolate kiss into the warm cookie is oddly therapeutic ... or maybe it's just me. lol
Back in the Day
In 1957, Freda Smith of Gibsonburg, Ohio stood in her kitchen preparing peanut butter cookies for her grandchildren when she discovered she was out of chocolate chips. Instead of abandoning her baking plan, she grabbed a bag of Hershey's Kisses from her pantry and pressed one into the center of each warm cookie. That improvisation became her entry into the 9th Pillsbury Bake-Off, where she submitted them under the name Black-eyed Susans. Pillsbury renamed them Peanut Butter Blossoms, and the recipe has appeared on the back of Hershey's Kisses bags ever since.
The late 1950s marked a golden age for American convenience baking. Electric mixers were becoming standard kitchen equipment, and brands like Pillsbury were transforming home baking through nationally televised contests that drew millions of viewers. Homemakers across the country could watch the Bake-Off on their black-and-white television sets while I Love Lucy reruns played during commercial breaks.
This was the era when convenience met creativity, when a simple substitution could launch a recipe into permanent holiday tradition status. Peanut butter was already a pantry staple thanks to post-war manufacturing advances, and Hershey's Kisses had been around since 1907, but no one had thought to combine them quite this way until Freda's happy accident.
What Makes These Peanut Butter Blossoms Great
Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
These classic peanut butter blossoms feature tender peanut butter cookies with signature crackled edges and chocolate kiss centers. A beloved holiday tradition since 1957, these cookies balance sweet and salty flavors while maintaining a melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them irresistible on any Christmas cookie tray.
- Total Time: About 40 minutes
- Yield: 60 Cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar for rolling
- 11-ounce package Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped (approximately 60 pieces)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add flour mixture, mixing thoroughly until just combined. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Form dough into 1-inch balls. For precise portions, divide dough into 5 equal pieces and shape each piece into 12 balls.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake until very light brown and puffed, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly.
- Allow cookies to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes per batch
- Category: Cookies, Christmas
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 7.2g
- Sodium: 54mg
- Fat: 4.2g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1g
- Carbohydrates: 9.6g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1.3g
- Cholesterol: 8mg
How to Make Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms
Recipe Variations, Serving Ideas, and Storage
Recipe Variations
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, shape the dough into balls, roll them in sugar, and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen at 375°F, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time. Press the kisses in using the same method.
Substitute the egg with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce or one flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, left to sit for 5 minutes). The texture will be slightly different but still delicious.
Use processed creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy rather than natural peanut butter. Natural varieties contain more oil that can separate, making the dough greasy and causing excessive spreading during baking. The processed versions provide better structure and more consistent results.
Press the kisses into the cookies immediately after baking Let the cookies cool completely on the pan to let the chocolate firm up. I've never had an issue with the kisses melting too much, but if this is your concern, freeze the kisses before inserting them into the cookies.
Stick with granulated white sugar for rolling. Brown sugar contains molasses that makes it sticky and won't create the same sparkly, crackled coating. The white sugar provides both visual appeal and textural contrast that's essential to classic peanut butter blossoms.
Overbaking is the most common cause. Remove the cookies when they're just lightly golden and still look slightly underdone. They'll continue cooking on the hot pan. Also ensure you measured your flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup rather than scooping, which can pack in too much.
Absolutely. Bake the cookies up to 3 days before serving and store them in airtight containers at room temperature. They actually taste even better after a day as the flavors meld together. For longer advance preparation, freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Try peanut butter cups, chocolate stars, caramel-filled chocolates, or Rolo candies. Any candy that's roughly the same size as a Hershey's Kiss will work. During the holidays, some bakers use candy cane kisses or seasonal varieties for a festive twist.
Refrigeration is optional but helpful if your dough feels too soft to roll into balls. Chilling for 30 minutes to 1 hour makes the dough easier to handle and can help prevent over-spreading. If your kitchen is cool and the dough holds its shape well, you can skip this step and bake immediately.
What's your earliest memory of baking or eating peanut butter blossoms? Did they show up at every holiday gathering in your family, or were they something you discovered later? If you make this classic peanut butter blossoms recipe, please leave a rating and review!
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